Waning Beacons Redux
by thedraconicwerewolf
Summary: Returning from Sacramento was supposed to be a happy moment for Stiles. He originally wanted to phone his friends and family about his return but couldn't get in touch with them. As such, he decided to make it into a surprise trip and announce his graduation from the police academy. That plan changed quickly as he now finds himself trying desperately to survive a deadly nightmare.
1. Prologue

Hello everybody! It's been a long while since I've posted anything on this site. Long story short, life has finally caught up with me and forced me to become an adult in most adult matters. It's a pretty drastic change from what I'm used to, especially since I'm now certified as a teacher and have to now create lesson plans for my students. I'm honestly not a leader person, and teachers are supposed to be leaders. In other words, I'm stressed beyond belief!

That said, I still try to find time to write stories and post them on here. That time is now severely limited because of my new adult responsibilities combined with the amazingly high levels of stress I'm dealing with at the moment. Never felt that much stress before; it's enough to make one feel like shutting down momentarily. Let's just hope I can find a way to work with it instead of having it work against me.

But enough about me. For those of you who might recognize the title, this is not a mistake. I have decided to remake one of my stories in response to the recent release of a remade horror game. After all, this story was originally inspired by that game; and I felt bad about having unintentionally abandoning it. I also didn't like how some of the portions were written, so this is my chance to redo some things over.

To put it simply, I'm remaking this story and changing things around. It's still the same structure I originally had planned; some things will just be different from what you remember. I hope you'll enjoy reading it all the same! I also will keep the original posted so you guys can compare what is different and how I have improved slightly during the hiatus moment for this particular story. Happy reading!

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**Prologue**

"Don't you already have all the evidence you need? You said I didn't have to go through an interrogation!" a young man exclaimed angrily.

"I said you _might not_ be interrogated," the other calmly clarified as he straightened out the lapels of his black suit. He left his partly undone tie alone; it gave the sense he had been on the job for a while. "Understand that recent events proven to be disadvantageous to our efforts. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about; not even the numerous tools at our disposal are of much help now."

The young man let out a heavy sigh as he sank further into his chair. Being kept in an interrogation room was the last thing he wanted after the hell he endured a couple nights ago. Granted he understood why he was being kept; he still was not happy at having to relive the horrors of the night.

"Believe me when I say I also rather not be here. As things stand, though, you're one of the few people who can help shed light on what happened that day. With everything mostly destroyed, your testimony is probably all we have left."

The young man scoffed. "So the USB you got from us doesn't count as evidence?"

The suited man let out an exasperated sigh. "Mr. Stilinski…"

"It's Stiles! I'm young enough to be your son, you know?"

"Okay. Stiles," the man tried again, "that USB mainly held medical records on certain people. At best, a judge would see it as having been taken from a hospital. It also doesn't help that it's listed as being for research purposes. It's near worthless as it is."

"Are you kidding me?" Stiles slammed his fists on the metal table. The noise echoed within the small barren room. The one-way mirror shuddered slightly from the force. The other man was unfazed by this show of frustration. "I risked my life not doing what I was supposed to, which was escape, so I could save my friend's life. It just so happened I found that information you're now not so appreciative of by pure chance! How can the FBI be so ungrateful about it? It's one of the few things to make it out of there intact!"

"I understand that."

"And now you're telling me it's worth less than a rat's carcass found in the middle of a desert?" Stiles continued with abandon. "Any food found while lost in a desert is treated as gold! This small USB filled with information from a now dead city is precious evidence! How can you _not_ see it as important?"

"I didn't say it wasn't important!" the man loudly explained in an attempt to cut off the other. It amazingly worked. "I only said it was worthless as it is. It's because of that I need to hear about what happened from your point of view. I need to see if you know anything of note that can back up what you gave us."

"You want my view on things? MY view?" Stiles repeated incredulously. "How did you manage to miss hearing the accounts of then dubbed crazy people? I'm sure you heard of them on the news."

"Did _you_ take them seriously at first?" The younger kept quiet at the other's counter. "My point exactly. This was when we were trying to figure out why communications with the town was cut. We sent a group in to see what was going on. Almost immediately, we lost all contact. I'm sure you can imagine what happened.

"Because of that, we decided to station men around the town's perimeter and speak with whoever crossed us. We didn't want to lose more good agents to whatever was going on inside. Unfortunately, there were hardly any civilians to speak with. You and your friend were the only ones I ran into. Including you two, we only intercepted eight people trying to leave."

Stiles recoiled at the facts. "Only eight people? How long were you guys there before the town went six feet under?"

"Two days from the time we got things officially set up." Stiles' mouth dropped. "My thoughts exactly. I expected to be there for a while longer, to be able to do more than just stand guard at the exits. I was also hoping to see more than just eight exhausted people. Whatever happened in there must've took everyone by surprise. And because that's our official count, the chance of survival was set at less than a percent. You eight should honestly consider yourselves lucky to be alive!"

This was definitely some shocking information. Stiles ran a hand through his brown hair as he thought of something to say against what he heard. Maybe the FBI did not keep track of all the survivors they saw, or they did not cover all the ways in and out of the town. Maybe some managed to escape through the sewers or flew out in a plane. There could be anything the agents failed to completely cover.

However, he knew how the FBI worked; he studied up on their tactics when he was in college. They did not plant themselves at town entrances for the heck of it. That and they always had a good reason to commit to mass gatherings. If they really kept close watch for those two days, then they must have made sure nothing would be able to pass by them. Still, he felt the need to ask.

"What about people who might've taken a plane or ran into the sewers? Did you count them?"

The agent nodded. "We didn't see any planes flying in or out during the time we were at the town exits. If one did, then it had to have been at a time when we couldn't keep track. The only time for that is the few seconds after the town was destroyed. It caused our instruments to go off-line for a bit. Still, the chances of a last-second flying escape is beyond slim.

"And while the sewer lines are extensive; the only service entrance deemed safe is a few miles outside the town line. We're still keeping watch over that and other safe manholes just in case. It doesn't seem promising, though.

"As of now, eight survivors is the official count. We don't expect it to get higher any time soon. Unfortunately, that means we don't have a lot of witnesses to question about what happened.

"What they all had in common, though," he quickly added as he cut Stiles off and stood up, "was the stories of having seen monstrous creatures. You also said it yourself, some kind of animalistic beings that attacked whoever they saw. Technically, those are still unsubstantiated claims. Something like that is pretty hard to believe.

"Still, we can't just pass it off as coincidence. While only two have been interviewed so far; their stories match up. We doubt it'll be consistent with the others, though. That's because it's hard for large groups of people to maintain a singular account of things. That's especially so when being asked extremely tough questions from us."

Stiles scoffed. "So now you're calling us liars."

The man leaned against the wall beside the one-way mirror, a half-smile gracing his lips. "I'm just telling you what my team believes. Can you really blame them? It's too fantastical no matter how you look at it.

"It doesn't mean I share their sentiments, though. I find some truth to what everyone's saying. Why do you think I'm here interrogating you instead of another agent?"

"I thought it was because of the wonderful history we have." Stiles could not help giving a cute smile with his sarcastic tone.

The other chuckled in response. "I suppose you could say that. It's more that I can better handle your sarcasm than the others. I also know you're not one to lie about something as big as this. You may call me biased, but I'm more inclined to believe whatever you have to say about the incident."

"Well, don't I feel special."

"Special enough to survive whatever took place in that town. Considering we're going to classify what happened as an act of terrorism; that's saying something.

"But that's why I'm here to interrogate you. I need to see if what you say connects with what we've already heard from the others. Being that you were found alongside your friend, we also need to see if you two's stories match up."

"Of course; yet another reason to make me talk. Not like I have much choice anyway," Stiles muttered as he released a heavy sigh. "But if I'm to talk with you, then how about you humor me for a bit?

"I've been with him since I first came back home, so our accounts are pretty much the same from that point. He can tell you more about what happened before if you're interested in that. If you want me to talk, then I want him here with me."

"Done."

"Wh-what? That was quick!"

The agent chuckled again. "That's because your request is more than reasonable. Since you two were allegedly together for a while, why not kill two birds with one stone? You'll both be here during the interrogation.

"However," he added while going back to his seat, "you'll have to start without him for a bit. He's still being processed. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes, but I'd like to start without him. Best to get a head-start so I can better understand what to ask and expect when he arrives."

"Ha, figures you'd put some kind of catch to it! Could've been worse, so who am I to complain?"

"Alright," Stiles agreed with a nod. "He better be here soon, though. If not, then I'm clamming up! So where do you want me to start?"

"How about your name for starters? We need to start this off officially, after all." The man then reached into his suit and pulled out a black portable recorder. He pressed a button on it before setting it on the table, a red light flashing to indicate it was on.

Stiles looked at the machine with a raised eyebrow. "I thought the guys standing behind the mirror took care of the recordings."

"Things happened pretty fast; we don't have a lot of men on interrogation duty right now. Most are trying to investigate the town ruins, but it hasn't been easy. We make do with what we have, though. Now if you don't mind stating your name for the record?" the man asked while pointing to the recorder.

"Alright; I'll go for it. My name's Stiles Stilinski. And no, that's not actually my first name. Don't ask what it is; you'll never be able to spell or pronounce it. Just look at my file if you really want to know.

"Anyway, this started for me a few nights ago. I'd just left the police academy back in Sacramento after graduating from the program. I thought it'd be cool to surprise my dad and friends by showing up unannounced with my diploma in hand. I had no idea I was walking into one of the craziest nights of my life!"

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And that's it! This first chapter hardly has anything different except that this portion is now a prologue as opposed to being mixed in with the actual start of the story. I changed some things around and put more emphasis on the conversation rather than the room they were in and what was inside. We already know it's an interrogation room, so there's no need to go into so much detail.

That's all I really have to say about this for now. Hope you enjoyed reading this redux chapter and will continue to stick with me as I remake the next thirteen or so chapters. Later guys!


	2. Chapter 1

Hello everybody! Yes, this is a quick update to a story. While clearly not something I've been able to do since my pre-college days; this happens to be a gap in time where I have an opportunity to practice my writing skills. It has been a long time since I've had a proper chance to just sit and concentrate on nothing but my stories. As such, I figured I'd take advantage of the opportunity and craft a new upgraded chapter for this updated story.

That said, I'm also kind of back to my old habits in that this story is being updated at 1AM. I'm still stupidly able to think and write clear when it's towards the dead of night. Don't ask me why; it's just how my brain is wired. At least it gives me a chance to practice my writing skills that have been going stale a bit thanks to the roughness known as life.

Anyway, I hope you guys do enjoy this new chapter. Please don't forget to leave a review before you move on to the next story you want to read. They are not only helpful in keeping my writing morale up; it gives me an idea as to what you guys are thinking as you're reading and whether or not the story is meeting your personal expectations. That said, thanks to **orionastro** for being the first reviewer on the redux of my story!

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**Chapter 1**

"_Thank you for calling the Beacon Hills Police Department. You've reached Sheriff Stilinski. Sorry for missing your call; I'm currently out of the office. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can._" The familiar beep of an answering machine echoed within the jeep.

"It's me again, dad," Stiles wearily greeted as he ran a hand through his hair. He barely stifled a yawn as he kept his eyes on the road. "This's the fourth time I've called you. What're you doing that's keeping you out of your office for so long? Must be a pretty big case you're working on for you to be constantly out. Still, I'm sure Parrish is around to at least tell you of your missed calls.

"Anyway," he continued while adjusting his phone on the dashboard dock, "I'm just calling to say I'm almost at Beacon Hills. Probably another fifteen minutes of driving before I'm officially in town. Traffic's been unusually smooth tonight, though; wouldn't be surprised if I made it earlier. Did you impose some kind of curfew over the town while I was gone?" he added teasingly.

"But yeah, here I am wasting time while I only have so long to leave a message. Just call me back as soon as you can, okay? You'll probably be glad that I'm coming back to lend a hand if you're this busy. Talk to you soon!" Stiles then pressed the red button on his phone to end the call.

It was pressing the tenth hour since Stiles began his drive home from Sacramento. He had just graduated from the police academy yesterday and was excited beyond belief. The final itself took him through a mix of both written and physical tests. Most nights often ended with him being knocked out the moment he hit his bed. It was demanding enough that he had no chance to call Scott, his best friend, with weekly updates. In fact, the last time he called was almost three weeks ago.

Naturally, he wanted to share this with his best friend after learning he was a certified officer. They have been through everything since elementary school, including the interesting times known as puberty. That was a time when their friendship became cemented into what they consider a brotherhood. After all, it is a true bond when you not only admit that you are bisexual but also want to try being boyfriends with your best friend. While the latter never took place; the fact Scott stayed by his side after that awkward moment was proof of how strong their bonds were. How could he not keep his best friend in the loop of his successes?

However, Stiles found it difficult to contact Scott. For whatever reason, he could not get connected with his number. He then tried to call his house's landline in case his cell was broken. That ended up working, but nobody answered. Then he tried calling his dad's cell but was met with the same connection issues. He did end up getting someone at his home's landline, but there was too much static to even tell who was talking.

After a couple more failed attempts, he decided to just surprise them with a visit. That was how he found himself just at the outskirts of Beacon Hills at almost ten in the evening. He started his trip around twelve noon; he had learned of his credentials the day before and spent that time in vain calling. Apart from the pit stops for food and bathroom breaks; he had been on the road non-stop. The long hours of sitting were starting to make him feel uncomfortable.

Even his poor jeep was starting to protest a bit at the long journey. Twice already he had to fill up gas. He could have gotten away with just one station stop, but he got into an argument with the attendant there about the station gouging people with overblown prices. As such, he chose to fill up a sixth of a tank and search for another gas station. That and the attendant was threatening to call the police on him for being disorderly.

"Don't worry, Roscoe," Stiles said as he lovingly patted the dashboard. "We're almost home. Sorry for pushing you so hard. Guess I got a bit too excited about telling the guys that I just had to come back. Sucks they're not answering or their phones are busted. At least this'll make it into a legitimate surprise.

"Still, it's kinda strange how the streets are empty," he commented as he looked around while driving. "I know this part is more of an uninhabited zone, but there's always some people coming in and out. Then again, there was that blockade a few miles back I snuck past by using an old dirt road," he recalled with a shrug. "They didn't look like the cops from Beacon Hills, though. Guess they're from another county working with us to apprehend a suspect. It'd explain why I can't reach dad at work."

A few seconds later, he passed by an unfamiliar billboard. It only caught his eye when he saw it claiming Beacon Hills the new home for something. That was all he could read, however, as he only had a second to see what it was about.

"Geez, was I gone that long? It's only been six months! Wonder what they're claiming is new for the town." Stiles thought about backing up to get a better look, but he felt it not worth his time. "Eh, I doubt it's that important. I mean, neither dad nor Scott thought to tell me about it. I'll probably run into another sign about it if it's still new."

His phone suddenly ringing broke him out of his musings. Taking a look at the caller ID, he was happy to see it was Scott calling. He quickly pressed an icon on the screen to accept the call.

"How's it going, Scotty?" Stiles greeted cheerfully.

"Stiles, can you hear me?" Scott asked. His oddly frantic tone echoed within the jeep.

"Yep, hearing you just fine. You had a bad connection or something?"

"Oh, thank god! Look, I need to you listen to me!" Strange sounds could be heard in the background. A loud crash, something he assumed being struck, startled Stiles enough to jerk his jeep a bit. "Don't come back to Beacon Hills! Stay in Sacramento! It's not safe here!"

Stiles took a deep breath to steady his driving before responding. "Geez, what's going on over there? You're having a wild party or something?"

"No; I'm not! And don't say this's a joke; it isn't! Just don't come home! You…"

Whatever Scott wanted to say next was obscured by heavy static. Stiles stole a glance at his phone and saw they were still connected. "Sorry, but you're breaking up. Reception's bad for some reason. What'd you say?" All he caught were broken fragments of words. "I seriously heard almost nothing. There's too much interference.

"If you can hear me, I'm already on the road back," he explained in response to Scott's earlier demand. "I'm practically in the outskirts of town. I should be in the heart of town in a few minutes."

"You're what?_!_" Scott screamed into the phone. Funnily enough, that came out very clear. Stiles had to stop the car so as to recover from the vocal assault.

"Damn dude; what's your problem?_!_" He shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the slight ringing in his ears. "I'm trying to make it back in one piece, you know? Do you want me to crash?"

"Don't…! …around and…!"

"Okay, this's ridiculous! Look, it's obvious you can hear me. Why don't we meet up at the diner? You can tell me what's on your mind there. I need to grab a bite to eat, anyway. Is that cool with you?"

"No, Stiles! You can't–"

The line suddenly went dead. As if to rub it in, the phone specifically said the connection was lost.

"The hell was that about?" Stiles wondered as he continued to stare at his phone. He only bothered to turn it off when it started making the annoying disconnect tone. "Why's he the one getting hysterical? That's supposed to be my quirk!"

To hear Scott be so frantic was very unusual. The last time that happened was during their high school senior year. The two happened to have a stereotypically idiotic teen moment that involved indulging in certain teenage curiosities. This was compounded further by Stiles being bisexual and Scott being the best friend willing to try certain things out with only his best friend.

Long story short, Stiles almost got caught by the lacrosse coach in the school locker room with Scott balls deep in his mouth. Scott had barely managed to pull up his gym shorts when the coach came around to see what was taking so long. He had never been so flustered in his life; the fact he was horned up made things worse. Stiles managed to save them, however, with his quick thinking of having just told an embarrassing joke. Needless to say, they never tried to pull any public stunts of that magnitude again.

Of course, this recent bout of franticness obviously had nothing to do with being caught horny. They had enough fun with each other for Stiles to recognize the fluctuating huskiness in the other's tone. No, this one was of clear panic. It still was not clear why that was so, but them meeting up at the diner would hopefully clear things up.

"Anyway, time to get back to our journey, Roscoe!" Stiles proclaimed excitedly as he shifted his jeep into gear. "I really want to figure out what's got Scotty so spooked. I'll bet you anything it's a vivid night terror. Won't know until I see him, though." He then pressed on the gas pedal and continued his drive into the heart of Beacon Hills.

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And that's it for this chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it along with the attempts at humor I tried to put into it.

Before anyone decides to ask, I'm not going to portray Scott and Stiles as boyfriends. The way I worded that particular scene should be enough to show they are just best friends who are willing to share some of the more intimate moments of their lives. Even though largely unspoken, it's a fact that some good friends do engage in horny activities. It has nothing to do with being gay, straight, or bi. How far you think Scott and Stiles took their fun, however, is up to your interpretation. That particular portion was clearly meant as a way for me to insert some humor into the story. I most likely won't touch up on it again, though it would most likely be in some attempt at a humorous fashion if it does come up.

And that's all I have to say about that. Again, I hope you guys enjoyed this short chapter. I've learned that chapters don't necessarily need to follow a word count guideline, so I now have no qualms posting short chapters if it ends up being the case. I promise, though, that future chapters will be longer than these two current ones have been.

Please don't forget to leave a review before moving on to the next story you want to read. While it is good for my writing morale; it also allows me to see what you guys think of the story and if it is meeting your personal expectations. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here everybody!


	3. Chapter 2

Hello everybody! Don't really have much to say here. I'm a bit sleep-deprived at the moment, and it's taking more of a toll on me than back when I was in college. Guess it's because of the added stress of being an adult and having to take care of adult responsibilities, but whatever. So I'll just keep this note short and sweet.

Thank you again to **orionastro** for your second consecutive review of my story. However, I need you to read my author's notes as it already answered what you posted on your review. Scott and Stiles are not going to be boyfriends or mates; that was already made clear on the fourth sentence of my ending author's note. Them doing adult stuff was just an extension of their friendship; nothing more.

With that off of my chest, I thank you for your patience and for reading this story. Hope you all enjoy this new chapter and will continue to wait for new updates. Until next time everybody!

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**Chapter 2**

As he promised Scott, Stiles arrived at the heart of Beacon Hills within a few minutes. It had been an uneventful drive, the streets just as empty as the rural one he came through. Being that the neighborhood he was driving through was known for its nightlife, not seeing a single person about was very strange.

As odd as it was, though, he was more worried about what Scott got himself into. He had no idea why his best friend sounded so scared and was adamant about him not coming home. Of course, he had no intention of listening. That was especially so since he was already just a few minutes away. Even if he were still in Sacramento, he would have just made the trip back to see what was going on. That was the kind of guy he was, stubborn enough to ignore all signs of self-preservation when it came to sating curiosities revolving around his dad and best friend.

He was jarred out of his thoughts, however, when he turned a corner and saw a ruined building giving off thick black smoke. There was no way of telling what it used to be as most of it was burned to the ground. Only small pockets of flames could be sporadically seen about the blackened ashes. It was clear the flames had been completely unattended.

Stiles stopped his car in order to better view the scene. "Geez, what happened? Must've been a pretty crazy fire. Where's the police and fire trucks?" He looked around for any signs of emergency vehicles; he saw none nearby. He even tried looking for groups of nosy bystanders that normally surrounded such horrific scenes. It was an empty disaster zone.

"Where's everyone else, for that matter? How's there nobody standing around like a bunch of idiots? This is the downtown area! There's supposed to be a crap-ton of people around!"

In his attempt to find people, he noticed further down the street a horrific traffic accident. Again, there were no first responders or bystanders looking upon the wreckage in shock. With how severe the scene looked, it was weird that nobody was around.

From what he could see, the accident involved at least four cars. One was turned upside-down with the fender resting against a wall. Two looked to have been involved in a T-bone collision, one with the engine squashed in and the other nearly split in half a few feet away. The fourth car, which was nearest him, was right-side up but showed signs of having been flipped a few times. He could see scratch and dent marks on both the passenger side and roof, and all the windows were shattered. Inside, he could see the body of a woman slumped over the steering wheel.

"Okay," Stiles said in disbelief. "How are these two disaster scenes not overrun with first responders and random people? I know the town's resources have been cut thanks to the state playing games with the funding. There still should be at least a couple of emergency responders around!"

As soon as he said that, he noticed that there was a police car among the wreckage. Most was kept from his view because of the fourth car with the dead woman in front of it. However, he could see that it had been involved in a rear collision. There was a huge dent in the right-rear bumper. The back window was completely shattered, most likely from the ensuing impact. The siren lights were off, and there were no signs of officers being nearby.

"Now I see a cop car but without a cop nearby. Just how bad did this town get since I first left? It's almost like a ghost town! Was there a viral outbreak or something I managed to miss in the news?" He said this in jest as he knew the news station would have had a field day over that kind of an announcement. However, he still could not help thinking that something equally as bad did happen. The only question then was what it was and why he never heard of it from either the television of his friends.

Not wanting to dwell on this dismal scene any longer, Stiles put his jeep into gear and continued on to the diner. While terrible, the accident did not completely block his path. He just had to carefully maneuver around it and avoid hitting the cars. He hoped that this was the reason for the immediate area being so empty.

Unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case. A few blocks further from the accident was a part of town that catered heavily to the LGBTQ crowd. While not overly flamboyant, the streets held a fair share of businesses that either catered to the LGBTQ crowd or were owned by such individuals. Regardless, the area was popular with all genders and sexualities.

In fact, there was a club nearby that Scott and Stiles occasionally snuck into back in the second half of their high school senior year. Stiles had managed to get them some fake IDs and wanted to see if they would work. Long story short, Stiles often went to get his fill of eye candy with Scott tagging along for fun. It also helped that the club also catered well to the straight crowd, so the latter never really had any objections on going.

Instead of that great liveliness that often spilled out into the front doors; there was only silence. The normally vibrant neon signs that often lit up the entire street were off. The dull sounds of heavy percussion wafting out the club doors could not be heard. The long lines of club-goers waiting to be welcomed in by the masculine and obviously gay bouncer were gone. The main fixture of this street was completely out of commission.

Stiles wanted to pull his jeep aside and see what was going on with the club. However, he realized he was spending too much time taking in all the oddities he passed by. He looked at his watch and noticed it had been over ten minutes since he last talked to Scott. His best friend might already be at the diner wondering what was taking so long.

He let out a sigh as he drove on by. "I'll just ask Scott about it. He should know what the hell is going on in this town."

Thankfully, his destination was not too far from here. After making a few more turns and passing a few more odd scenes; Stiles saw the diner at the end of his current street. The sign that advertised its name still stood tall with its neon letters flickering in the night sky like a firefly. The building itself was modeled after an old-fashioned diner, the lot taking up an entire street corner with its presence. It was easily one of the most popular eateries in town.

Despite that distinction, the place seemed to be having a down time. The lights inside the diner along with the OPEN sign were on. The parking lot, however, was deserted except for a couple of cars with their doors wide open.

"Doesn't look like Scott's here," Stiles noted as he looked inside the diner windows. He then took the space nearest the entrance and cut the engine. He then got out and was met with the familiar scent of deep-fried diner food. "Oh well, just means I have more time to enjoy some good curly fries. Been a while since I had any.

"Hey Erica!" he shouted as he walked towards the glass door. "Guess who's back from the police academy?" He then went inside and waved enthusiastically towards the counter where he knew the woman worked. Not seeing her there, he called out again. "Erica? Are you busy getting fresh with Boyd in the kitchen?"

He was only half-teasing with that comment. He knew she and the cook were a steady couple; Boyd often poked his head out of the food window to glare at him for it. However, there was none of the death glares from Boyd or the predatory grin from Erica. Neither were clearly around, and that started to raise some red flags.

"Okay, what the hell's going on around? The town seems to be in a mess, and now this place is open with nobody manning the kitchen or front. Am I missing something here?"

Stiles gave the diner a quick scan before noticing a customer seated a few booths away. Happy to be seeing someone, he walked over in as friendly manner as possible so as to not scare the man. He appeared rather elderly, after all; the last thing he wanted was for the man to keel over of a fright-induced heart attack.

"Evening, sir," he cordially greeted once he was close enough. The man made no sign of acknowledgement. "Sorry to bug you, but I was wondering if you knew what's going on. The town seems to be falling apart, and there's nobody manning this place."

The man stayed silent. When Stiles was close enough, he noticed the other staring intently into his cup of what appeared to be coffee.

"Is…everything okay, sir?" He gently placed a hand on the man's shoulders. The rough grunt he received made him immediately pull back. "Geez, sorry. Didn't mean to intrude onto your private time. Just wasn't sure if you heard me."

Stiles was suddenly startled by an explosion rocking the entire diner! There was a deafening boom followed by a strong tremor that brought him to his knees. Dishes fell to the floor with a crash, and utensils danced along the tables. Pans and such could also be heard falling in the kitchen.

From the leftmost edge of his vision, he noticed a bright flash down the street. His full attention now on it, he saw that it was actually the result of an explosion. It was a couple blocks away, so he could not see what caused it. He could, however, feel the surprisingly strong tremor that weakened his balance. He took a guess it was a gas explosion because of the size of the flames that shot into the sky.

The elderly man startled at the sound and fell out of his seat onto Stiles. Along with his already poor balance from the tremor, the older was now on top of the other.

"Geez, you okay? Didn't think that-"

He cut himself when he got a good look at the man's face. It was one of someone who had been through the wringer and back. It was wrinkled beyond belief, and there were lots of smudges on it. There were even some rust-brown spots that seemed suspiciously like blood. What stood out the most to Stiles, however, were the dull yellow eyes that stared back at him in complete fear. It almost seemed as though they were glowing, and it was definitely not because of the ambient lighting of the diner.

However, he had no time to ponder on it as one of the windows suddenly shattered. He was then freed from the old man's weight a second later, a blur passing by and taking the person with it. There was a moment of a frightened scream before it was replaced with a disturbingly squishy slashing sound. Turning towards the old man, he saw him now bleeding profusely from the stomach.

Stiles stared in shock at the scene. The thing that had broken through the window was like some kind of strange amalgamate. Despite having the physique of a man, there were some clear beast-like qualities to it. There were some over-emphasized muscles on its arm and legs, and the hand not against the old man's chest had long and extremely sharp nails. No doubt that was what pierced the old man.

That was when the man-beast turned and noticed Stiles for the first time. With one swift movement, he flung the old man aside. Blood spewed everywhere when the nails were freed from the flesh; some of the warm liquid hit Stiles' face. He cared little about it, though, and began to slowly back away. It did little, though, as his back quickly made contact with a wall. All he could do now was stare back in fear as he saw the thing ready to pounce, its bloody hand prepared to rend him to death.


End file.
